Machine for assembling metallic links.



No. 821,782. PATENTED MAY 29, 1906. .M. F. GAPRON. MACHINE FOR ASSEMBLING METALLIG LINKS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 4. 1904.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

.WITJV'ESSES.

No. 821,782 PATENTED MAY 29, 1906.

M. F. CAPRON.

MACHINE FOR ASSEMBLING METALLIC LINKS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 4. 1904.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

M. F. GAPRON. MACHINE FOR ASSEMBLING METALLIC LINKS.

APPLIO ATION FILED JUNE 4. 1904.

PATENTED MAY 29, 1906.

3 SHEETSSHBET 3.

% Jitter/z ey UNITED STATES.

PATENT, onrrcn.

MACHINE FOR ASSEMBLING METALLIC LINKS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 29, 1906.

Application filed June 4,1904. Serial No. 211,199.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MARSHALL F. CAPRoN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Detroit, county of Wayne, State of Michigan, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Machines for Assembling Metallic Links, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification.

My invention has for its object to provide a machine for assembling metallic links, the same being more particularly designed for assembling standard malleable-iron links for chains such as are ordinarily used in the market.

The purpose of my invention is to provide a machine for this purpose of simple and economical construction by means of which the links may be quickly and efficiently assembled to form a chain.

My invention consists of the construction, combination, and arrangement of devices hereinafter described and claimed, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a view in plan, illustrating my invention. Fig. 2 is a view in side elevation, showing parts broken away. Fig. 3 is an end view of a portion of the mechanism. Fig. 4 is a view in end elevation of parts looking from the opposite end of the machine. Fig. 5 is a view in vertical longitudinal section through parts of the mechanism. Fig. 6 is a view in vertical cross-section, through portions of the mechanism. Fig. 7 is a detail view of the cylinder with one end of the reciprocatory slide. Fig. 8 is an end view of the cylinder. Fig. 9 is a vertical section through the slide and showing the cross-head. Fig. 10 is a detail view showing the pushbar and dog, parts being broken away. Fig. 11 is an end view of mechanism shown in Fig. 10. Fig. 12 is a detail view showing the position assumed by the links in assembling the same, and Fig. 13 is a plan view of one of the links.

My invention aims to feed the individual links through a suitable runway upon a bed or table, then forcing the link laterally a suitable distance to a guideway and at the same time into engagement with a link previously fed into a guideway, then forcing the links along said guideway by suitable mechanism to form a chain of desired length.

ically.

I carry out my invention as follows: Inthe drawings, (1 represents any suitable bed or support, and 1) denotes any suitable runway secured thereupon, through which the links may be fed, the runway belng con-v The machine is designed to work automatstructed to feed in a continuous manner any desired number of the links to 'thework in an upwardly-extended position. At one side of the runwayis a guideway, (indicated at c.) To deliver a link from the base of the runway to the guideway, located at one side of the runway, I employ a reciprocatory slide, (indicated at 01,) which is preferably attached to a cross-head e, the cross-head being connected with an eccentric f upon a driving-shaft g. The opposite end of the slide d is preferably provided with a shoe h to engage the link to force the link over into the guideway c. This shoe is preferably constructed as indicated more particularly in Fig. 7. The shoe and adjacent part of the slide or rod (1 is made reciprocatory through a cylinder i, engaged upon the bed a, the cylinder being cut away at one side and at one end to permit the link to drop in front of the shoe.

The links are shown at with the hook is at one end thereof, and at one side the link is formed with a recess (indicated at 1, Fig. 13) to permit the hook of an adjacent link to slide over the recessed side of the link, so as to engage the end of the adjacent link opposite its hook. The runway b is secured in any suitable manner upon the bed a. As will be seen, the same is cut away at one side, as indicated at m, so that the link may move in a correspondin direction into the guideway c, which exten s at right angles to the movement of the slide d. The opposite side of the runway obviously does not need to 'be so cut away, but extends downward to form a cap for the adjacent portion of the cylinder "L. The shoe is cut away, as at n, so that the adjacent side of the link may bear against the hook is, the end of the link contacting with the extension q of the shoe. When a given link has been forced by the reciprocatory shoe it into the path of the guideway c, a push- IOdii-T, having an intermittent reciprocatory movement, is moved to force the link into and along the guideway c. The inner end of the push-rod is provided with a swinging dog 8, constructed to contact with the hooked portion of the link, and as the push-rod is forced toward the guideway c the dog 8, bearing against the hook of the link which has just been moved over into position from the runway, throws the link over into horizontal position, as indicated, for example, in Figs. 5 and 12, while at the same time the link just engaged by the push-rod is being forced ,with the link to which it is engaged, along the guideway c. The end of the dog 8 contacting with the hooked portion of the link is preferably constructed with a curved point at its upper extremity, so as to fit somewhat over the correspondingly-curved portion of the hook of the link to aid in preventing the link from tilting upward in the act of its being forced into position and along the guide way 0. work, in order that the dog may be returned to normal position it is necessary that it should swing down out of working position, as indicated in Fig. 10. For this purpose I provide a spring t, bearing on the under surface of the dog, which may yield to allow the dog to return to normal position. When pressure is relieved from the dog, the spring will restore the same-to normal position. It will be observed that the forward end of the push-rod is cut away or recessed through one side to receive the inner end of the dog, which is fulcrumed therein, the spring if being secured, preferably, on the under side of the push-rod, as shown.

Above the guideway c are friction-rollers, (indicated at u,) the same preferably carried by an arm Q), fulcrumed at the end thereof opposite the rollers, as indicated at to. These rollers are constructed to bear upon the sides of the adjacent link, as shown, said rollers serving the double purpose not only in assisting in holding the link down in horizontal position, but at the same time serving to prevent thechain from being drawn back with a backward movement of the push-rod. Any desired pressure may be given to the rollers by means of a set-screw x. To give the desired movement to the push-rod r, I have shown an oscillatory lever y, suitably connected with said push-rod at one end of said lever, said lever being fulcrumed intermediate its extremities, as indicated at 2. The lever may be actuated in any desired manner. As shown, the end of the lever opposite the push-bar is engaged in a cam-groovefindicated by the numeral '14) upon the drivingshaft g. This cam-groove is constructed with a straight face (indicated at 35.) extending a suitable distance thereabout, so that while the cam-roller on the end of the lever y isriding in the straight path of the cam When the push-rod has done its movable. While the slide (1 is onthe latter part of its reciprocatory movement, the pushrod 1" is given a forward and backward movement. The lever y standing still while the slide d moves forward allows the links to be moved in front of the dog carried by said push-rod. The push-rod r is constructed with a recess (indicated at 15) and with a shoulder, (indicated at 16,) the recess allowing the adjacent end of the link to drop over thereinto and against said shoulder. The shoe h is preferably made detachable from the slide (1.

The object of employing the cylinder 01 is to simplify the construction of the machine and to hold the link in its true position to be forced by the plunger upon the preceding link. It will be observed that the path of the cross-head e is covered laterally by the plates 17 and 18. The guideway'c is also provided with guide-plates 19 and 20, while the way for the push-rod 1" isalso provided with guide-plates 21 and 22. I provide also an adjusting-screw 23 to limit the movement of the link into the path of the guideway c, the said screw being provided with a lock-nut 24, whereby it may be held in any given position.

While the link is preferably fed from the runway with the hooked'end down and with the hook opening on the under side, I do not limit myself solely thereto. The runway is preferably set at a suitable incline. The shoe h is preferably made of hardened steel to endure the wear. the distance from the center of the hook or from the center of the orifice of the hook is tance from the said center in the opposite di rection to the outer groove of the hook.

The runway is so constructd that the links can only be fed with their hooks to the posionly permitting the hook of the link to be fed the under side. This may readily be accomplished by forming the runway with lateral grooves, (indicate at 25,) the groove being so spaced as only to admit the extremity of the hook or the shortest radius of the hookbeing located on the under side of the grooves 25.

What I claim as my invention is In a machine for assembling'metallic links the combination of a support, an upwardlyextended runway, arranged to feed the links with the hook end of the link downward, a guideway, a cylinder upon the bed cut away at one side and at one end thereof to receive and hold a link in position, a reciprocatory slide to move a link from the foot of the runway through said cylinder into the path of the guideway and engage the hook end of the opposite end of the preceding link, and means It will be observed that less to the point of the hook than is the dis--- thereinto with the extremity of the hook on tion above described, the path of the runway link so carried into the u deway with the to force the link into the guideway and to sil In testimony whereof I have signed this multaneously throw said link into a horizonspecification in the presence of two subscribtal position with the hook end foremost, said ing witnesses.

slide provided with a shoe to contact with the MARSHALL F. CAPRON hook end of the link, said runway provided, Witnesses:

at its lower end, with a cap for a portion of N. S. WRIGHT,

said cylinder. M. L. SIMMONS. 

